Advice on buying a car for grandson

[REWahoo]

Corolla or such about 2016. Probably a little more than $5k. I wouldn't go over about 75k miles,...

"a little more"?


Can't touch a 2016 Corolla with under 75k miles for less than $15k around here.

 

[aaronc879]

$5K doesn't get you much of anything these days. Does he live in an area that gets heavy snow? If so I would go with a small SUV with AWD. Otherwise go with something like a Camry or Corolla if he is not too big to fit in a Corolla sized car. I would go with a newer car even if the miles are high. They are more likely to be mostly highway miles which should be less strain on the engine overall. Good luck

 

[latexman]

I started each of my 5 kids in a beater Corolla we had. It was a 1999. It got many, many battle scars over the years. One kid even thought he could "drift" it on asphalt, so that was two wheels and two tires he replaced after he jumped the curb. When the next younger driver got their license, the current beater driver upgraded to a more worthy vehicle.

 

[Jerry1]

Corolla or such about 2016. Probably a little more than $5k. I wouldn't go over about 75k miles, depending on how much it's going to be driven, as maintenance costs are probably not in his budget.

Who is actually going to own the car? If it's him, he'll pay big insurance $. And he might trade it in on a Charger without asking you when he's 18.

Not too worried about maintenance cost. I help him take care of it as long as he’s doing the right things like working and/or going to college. We’ll have to figure out the best way to tittle it and insure it. Unfortunately, it is what it is and I’m sure it won’t be cheap. Ugh.

$5K doesn't get you much of anything these days. Does he live in an area that gets heavy snow? If so I would go with a small SUV with AWD. Otherwise go with something like a Camry or Corolla if he is not too big to fit in a Corolla sized car. I would go with a newer car even if the miles are high. They are more likely to be mostly highway miles which should be less strain on the engine overall. Good luck

Living in S.E. Michigan, you can easily get by with a FWD car. I tend to agree with a higher mileage new model vehicle, but I really don’t want to go over 200K miles and would like something closer to 150K. We’ll see what comes along.

 

[38Chevy454]

X2 on front wheel drive being just fine. No need for awd. Has your grandson given any ideas on what he likes? I realize he might not have much choice, as the car you find may be the one that has good maintenance records and good overall condition. I wouldn't get so concerned on newer 5-10 vs 15-20 years older. Any car within 20 years has pretty good safety features.

X2 also on talk to family, friends and neighbors that you are looking for a car. If they are getting ready to buy new, that is a great way to get a decent car if they would otherwise trade in. Offer them few hundred over their trade in offer, better deal for them and you will be dealing with a known vehicle.

My standby recommendation for a kid has always been a small truck. Get a regular cab, and can only take one passenger. Not a car full of distractions and peer pressure. Plus a small truck is fairly cheap for insurance, easy to work on and good parts availability. A truck is also a little cooler than a 4 door sedan or minivan. Truck is rear wheel drive and not the best for snow, but 300 lbs of sand bags in back of the bed in winter helps a lot. A truck is also good for college and moving a bunch of stuff if attending school away from home. Being you are up in MI chances are most trucks are 4wd.

FB marketplace can have good deals, but also is the new home of scammers and bottom feeders. Craigslist is better since they started charging a small fee for vehicle sale listings. Also just drive around the area where people park a car with a for sale sign, might find something. There are also some other online places like offerup, nextdoor, and similar. But word of mouth and someone trading in is your best chance for decent I think.

 

[Jerry1]

Has your grandson given any ideas on what he likes? I realize he might not have much choice, as the car you find may be the one that has good maintenance records and good overall condition.

He just wants wheels. I get that. I talked to him and he’s thinking a mid-sized sedan. But, as you said, the weight will be on finding the best vehicle for the money. If that’s an SUV or a truck, I’m sure he’ll be happy with it. At this point, it’s finishing up my “research” so I know a good deal when I come across one and being ready to jump. One thing I’ve learned, while FB is mostly a scam, every now and then, a private seller will show up with a good deal. They last about 1/2 hour and those posts are gone. So, being ready is critical. I’m not quite there yet, but getting close.

 

[JoeWras]

One thing I’ve learned, while FB is mostly a scam, every now and then, a private seller will show up with a good deal. They last about 1/2 hour and those posts are gone. So, being ready is critical. I’m not quite there yet, but getting close.

This is true. I missed a few this way.

 

[CardsFan]

I have a 2012 Nissan Altima. Original owner. 70,000 miles.

Plan to sell to our friends daughter for her 16yo daughter.

$4,000.

Sounds like I am giving it away, but that's OK. She is a great young [-]girl[/-] woman.

Man, how did I get old enough to have friends with 16yo granddaughters

 

[JoeWras]

I have a 2012 Nissan Altima. Original owner. 70,000 miles.

Plan to sell to our friends daughter for her 16yo daughter.

$4,000.

Sounds like I am giving it away, but that's OK. She is a great young [-]girl[/-] woman.

Man, how did I get old enough to have friends with 16yo granddaughters

That's what we do with friends, right? This is actually the best way to get a car for a grandchild - a bargain from friends or family. Although I never had a car until I was 22, I saw this kind of deal go on with a lot of my friends.

That's so nice of you. You are selling for less than you could get if you turned it in at CarMax. And in a private sale, it is probably worth around $7k.

 

[Jerry1]

I have a 2012 Nissan Altima. Original owner. 70,000 miles.

Plan to sell to our friends daughter for her 16yo daughter.

$4,000.

Sounds like I am giving it away, but that's OK. She is a great young [-]girl[/-] woman.

Man, how did I get old enough to have friends with 16yo granddaughters

Very nice of you. I flip my cars too often to do that. I keep telling myself that “I’ll keep this one longer” but I have yet to do that. I haven’t had a car exceed 50K miles in a very long time.

 

[harley]

Very nice of you. I flip my cars too often to do that. I keep telling myself that “I’ll keep this one longer” but I have yet to do that. I haven’t had a car exceed 50K miles in a very long time.

Our "new" car (2016 Odyssey) is just about to flip over to 100K. I've never kept a car for less than that. You just need to find somebody like you to get a car from.

 

[Librarian]

I know used car prices have come down a bit but GOOD LUCK finding a decent car for 5K.
Last year sold 2002 Honda Odyssey w/ 160K miles (body in decent shape) & a 2004 Honda Accord w/ 100K miles (LOTS to dents in this bad boy), both in excellent working condition for $2K each...and I think I could have gotten more (we priced it at the high end of KBB). Sold them both in an instant on Marketplace. Accord was to a dealer...so figure he's putting $4-5K on that Accord after his body guy gets some dents out.
I get that "starter" car...but gonna be tough I suspect.

 

[rodi]

My older son is driving a 2000 Ford F150. It had 180k miles when we bought it 3 years ago and now has about 220k. He uses it to commute to work and school from his rental house. It's reliable. Not pretty, but reliable. We've had to change the battery, replace the headlights (they were pretty frosted/yellowed from age), and do the basic stuff. Oh, and I think there was a fuel pump issue - we learned the fuel pump is easiest installed if you remove the bed of the truck, vs trying to go from underneath. Youtube is awesome.

We are in the market for a used car for younger son for when he gets back from a semester abroad. He currently lives walking distance to school and skateboards to work when he can't borrow his girlfriends car. The sweet spot on price/value at this point, based on craiglist, are minivans. Honda Oddysey with 150k-200k miles for < $5k with clean title and recent inspections. My younger son is a surfer and would LOVE something he can haul his boards in.

I am not a fan of buying fancy/newer cars for kids. Can you tell? LOL

 

[Librarian]

.
I am not a fan of buying fancy/newer cars for kids. Can you tell? LOL

Dad taught me years ago...NEVER BUY NEW.
We have had the luck of buying nearly every vehicle we have had from a family member. We knew exactly what we were getting.

We did begin leasing a few years ago--it was the right fit at the time.
3 yrs ago when we signed the next lease, we got a 3 yr newer car, same payment & insurance went down because of safety features.

But the BEST deal of our lease was the buyout. We knew 3 yrs ago it would be our last lease as we were retiring & wanted NO payments.
We had a $17K buyout last year on a 2020 Mazda Millenia, low miles.
With the lack of used cars & the sky high prices they were getting for them, they were BEGGING for us to get a new lease.
Nope. Heck, we coulda sold it for $25K....But then what would we do?
I'd say those few years of leasing paid off!

 

[bltkmt]

I have a Kia Soul that has been a good little car, and a lot roomier inside than it looks from outside. These are relatively low priced.

Yeah, those are pretty nice. I rented one once and loved it. Also a friend in town has one and loves it.

 

[isisdave]

"a little more"?


Can't touch a 2016 Corolla with under 75k miles for less than $15k around here.

That's a "little more" in grandpa dollars ...

 

[bend]

Havent read past the first page but I'll throw my 2 cents in.

I'm a diehard toyota enthusiast. Relatively easy to work on and legendary reliability. I once had to completely remove a headlight on a dodge to remove the battery. Another horror story is I had to pull an engine in a ford to replace the clutch "slave" cylinder. Domestics seemingly mix and match SAE and metric and the metric sizes they use are uncommon.

That be said, toyota's have their fair share of problems. If a new model generation came out between ~'07-14, it may have a oil consumption problem. Shortening the oil change interval to 3k may relieve some of the consumption. Certain year corollas have tranny problems.

Regardless of what make/model you go with, I would find a message board that corresponds to your choice (e.g. priuschat.com) and ask what common problems there are / what are the years to avoid.

 

[old medic]

I haven’t had a car exceed 50K miles in a very long time.

WOW... I have only had 3 cars with LESS than 50K on them. The lowest was 7 and the biggest piece of junk I've even owned. Still hate a Ford.

 

[harllee]

On my local Craigslist I see a few Lexus RX with around 200,000 Miles for between $5000 and $10,000. This is a comfortable safe vehicle that lasts forever and looks good. At 200,000 miles they are just getting broken in. When I bought a newer RX a few years ago I sold my old RX with 230,000 miles to a college kid for $7000. He loved it and I still see him driving it around town and the car looks great. I bet it has 300,000 miles on it by now.

 

[Jerry1]

I haven’t had a car exceed 50K miles in a very long time.

WOW... I have only had 3 cars with LESS than 50K on them. The lowest was 7 and the biggest piece of junk I've even owned. Still hate a Ford.

I used to lease cars when working. I got a new one every two years. Since retiring, I’ve bought my cars but my first few purchases didn’t end up being what I wanted. I now own some very nice vehicles so I’m hopeful I will keep these for longer and put more miles on them. We’ll see. A nice car has been one of my BTD’s and I really appreciate a nice ride.